Monday, June 29, 2009

Wonky Pinwheels or Whirligigs

Wonky Pinwheels or WhirligigsWant to make one?If you know me, you know I don't like to follow directions, so I don't use patterns. So this is the way I made these quilt blocks, that doesn't mean it is the right way, but it worked for me.

To start I cut 5" squares. 2 of the solid, and 2 of the same print for each "pinwheel".

You will need to make yourself a template. I used a thin piece of cardboard. I cut it to a 5" square. Mark the middle on top and bottom. I then measured a 1/4" away on opposite sides, and drew a line connecting them, so you have a diagonal line. Then cut out on that line. Make sure you mark what will be the front of your template so you don't use it backwards.

Now use that template to cut your 5" squares in half--wonky. You will use both pieces.I just lay my template out on the one side of my stack of squares, then lay my ruler on top of the edge to cut.

Do this to all your squares, both solid and print.

Then you will lay out one solid and one print piece to make your square.

Then sew with a 1/4" seam.

Press. I prefer to press my seams open on this block.

At this point your block will be rectangular, you will need to trim it to a square. Just make sure you trim them all on the same side, so your blocks are all the same.Repeat this for all four squares to make one block.

Lay your block out, and sew the top two squares together. Do the same with the bottom two squares. Press.

Then line up your center seam to sew the top 2 squares and bottom 2 squares together. Press.

You may need to square up your block.

Now you have a completed block.

Here are my blocks ready to be sewn into a quilt top. Photo added: my unfinished blocks were 8.5" so they finish at 8". I did rows with 5 blocks across and 8 down. I also added a 5" (finished) border. After quilting and washing, my quilt measures about 48" x 71". You can see more photos here.

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About Me

Wife to Tony, Mom to Kyle and Gracie--could it get any better?
I love to quilt, paint & create. I'm a fabric addict. I love to play with color and textures. I sell my handmade goodness online, and do Longarm quilting. Contact me for more information.